Culture

Magnificent Obsession

With its 2,000 acres, 187 rooms, and Masterpiece Theatre lifestyle, Blenheim Palace eclipses even the British monarchy’s homes in the eyes of many. And for the three centuries since Queen Anne bestowed the land on the first Duke of Marlborough, his heirs have battled to keep it going. In a rare interview with the 85-year-old 11th duke, known as Sunny, and his fourth wife, the “exotic” and wealthy Lily, James Reginato explores the sacrifices made in Blenheim’s name—from loveless marriages to a bitter legal battle—while Jonathan Becker shoots exclusive photos of the palace and its private quarters.

BRITISH FAIRWAYS A valet draws the curtains in a guest bedroom at Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire. Right, a view of the Baroque palace’s limestone façade, looking out over a portion of the vast grounds.

For 300 years, Blenheim Palace, seat of the Dukes of Marlborough, has awed all visitors, even the grandest among them. “We have nothing to equal this,” King George III said with a gasp to Queen Charlotte in 1786 as they caught their first glimpse of the Baroque behemoth, in Oxfordshire.

Indeed, Buckingham House, as the monarch’s dwelling was then called, was primitive by comparison. With seven acres under its roof, Blenheim arguably still eclipses in splendor and magnitude any of the British royal family’s homes, and it is the only nonroyal, non-ecclesiastical residence in England styled a “palace.” Its grandeur registered even with Hitler, who according to wartime lore planned to move in after his invasion of England and thus ordered the Luftwaffe not to bomb it.

The palace’s cornerstone was laid in June 1705, less than a year after the first Duke of Marlborough’s pivotal victory against the French on the fields of Blenheim, in Bavaria. On behalf of “a grateful nation,” Queen Anne granted Marlborough and his heirs the 2,000-acre royal manor of Woodstock, and Parliament voted to provide funds to build on it a suitably magnificent structure.